“The chief beauty about time is that you cannot waste it in advance.”

-Arnold Bennett

 

Every moment is a new beginning. What’s done is in the past and the future lies, untouched before us. Whether we have made mistakes does not matter, it is the choices we make in this moment that propel us forward. Internalizing this endless opportunity for renewal is what builds strong, successful lives. When one does not allow the follies of what’s passed before to hinder taking control of what’s ahead, the world and the constant stretch of time become the canvas on which a masterpiece is rendered.

 

Rachel Adams spoke to us in late August from Omaha, Nebraska where she lives and works. She describes Omaha as a “blue dot in a red state” which means that the city itself has kept many of the pandemic safety measures in place. In her role as Curator and Director of Programs at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, she oversees three programming branches – an international artist residency, exhibitions and public programs. The center now has a new experimental and sound art venue that brings in a few performances each month. Since the beginning of the center 40 years ago, the mission has been artists supporting artists. This includes the artists coming in for residency as well as those exhibiting and around the community. To hear more about the center and Adams’ role, listen to the complete interview.

 

Kristine Stiles connected with us from Durham, North Carolina in early September. At the time, the circumstances of the pandemic were still quite unpredictable. A Distinguished Professor of Art, Art History and Visual Studies at Duke University, Stiles reports that she was able to remain online with her current seminar class about trauma in art, literature and film. Early on, Stiles made the case that a course such as this could not be taught with masked faces as it robs the ability to see students’ faces and was granted to teach the seminar online. Stiles began as a painter, initially painting herself as an African American. Eventually, she was told by African American colleagues that she could no longer do this and so she moved away from painting. To hear more about this and more about her evolution from artist to academic, listen to the complete interview.